Two past presidents (Rohan and Jag) and our current president Christopher represented us at Out in Schools/Out on Screen’s annual Out for Breakfast fundraiser. We have supported Out in Schools through Pride Run and Walk and related fundraising for many years because of the great work they do to support youth, raise awareness, and build community in Vancouver and throughout BC. To donate or learn more about their mission, click here.

Did you hear the one about the Vancouver Frontrunners who went up to Mount Seymour and snowshoed 6km?

Admittedly, it wasn’t very funny, but it was a great time for all fourteen hearty souls who made it out. Fresh snow and glimpses of blue sky showcased the best of one of our local mountains. Beer and camaraderie in Lonsdale Quay afterwards capped off a wonderful day. This snowshoeing thing might just become an annual tradition!

Thank you to the nearly 40 friends who came to celebrate our club and to present cheques to LOUD and Out in Schools representing our awesome Pride Run efforts! We are proud to say that over $14,000 went to the two organizations: $8,466.22 to Out in Schools and $6,352.47 to LOUD.

Last year, the amount was just over $13,200 and this year, we had an ambitious goal for $20,000. Whilst a little off from our goal, this is an impressive amount for a volunteer-led and -organized event from a community sports club.

We obviously couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support and assistance from the Vancouver Pride Society and we are forever thankful for their continued partnership. We are also thankful for the online reach, word of mouth, support, and gratitude that both LOUD and Out in Schools have provided us.

Thank you to IONICA and VFR runner/IONICA owner Michela Toscano. Hosting and managed services by IONICA make web sites faster, more secure, and rock-solid reliable. And, we were lucky enough to have their support for #VanPrideRun to help send our first place fundraiser to Mexico!

With a philosophy of partnership, aligned interests, and corporate stewardship, IONICA works to align interests and goals so everyone wins, rather than simply striving for the best return to shareholders.

Thank you Dean Nelson and GayWhistler.com. Two very lucky runners will be going to Snowball 26 during Whistler Pride and Ski Festival from January 21 to 28, 2018. Your presence at Pride Run & Walk 2017 was so appreciated!

Cheers to BC Lions! Tickets to one of your games were a brilliant giveaway to our sports enthusiasts at the Vancouver Pride Run & Walk.

Thank you Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa for giving our second prize fundraiser a 2-night stay where they will get to take in breathtaking ocean and mountain views of the North Island, soak in the Pacific Mist Hydropath®, and enjoy the many other charms of this resort.

Vancouver Frontrunners and Pride Run and Walk are full of gratitude for India Bistro‘s contribution to finisher and door prizes. Always a keen supporter, we love enjoying Wednesday suppers at their venue. Three cheers for India Bistro!

Thank to our friends at Running Room – some of our fastest runners walked home with a giftcard to the store! Your presence at the run was special as always!

Thank you, White Spot Restaurant for your continued support in Vancouver Pride Run & Walk. Gift Certificates to your restaurants were well-received by our hungry runners!

Chip time results for Pride Run & Walk can be found at:

We’re a little embarrassed to admit that we acknowledge our very own ‘Steve Harvey’ moment. Our registration form for Vancouver Pride Run & Walk allowed for 4 gender categories. Male, Female, Gender Variant and Undisclosed. In recognising the top finishers in the Gender Variant categories, we instead announced the top finishers who registered as Undisclosed. Undisclosed is not a category we award in.

With that said, we make the following correction:

In the 10km race, coming in 1st place was Jennifer Ceren at 42m:23s. There was no runner up.

In the 5km race, coming in 1st place was Michela Toscano at 23m:20s and runner up is Sophia Stivanakis at 24m:49s.

We sincerely apologise for this mix-up and we will put measures in place to ensure it won’t happen again.

A force to be reckoned with, we would like to thank Race Force as our organizing partner for this year’s Pride Run & Walk. Race Force is a volunteer run Nonprofit Organisation founded by Mike Hsiao (VFR member) in 2005 at the age of 12 when he was struggling with a variety of personal issues; volunteering helped him cope with the issues at hand. From a small group of 3 volunteers to now over 500 volunteers, Race Force has supported hundreds of events.

Currently, Race Force provides and manages volunteers for over 25 charitable athletic events across the country and beyond. If you see a Race Force volunteer, be sure to say hi and thanks for their work. Without volunteers, this race would not happen!

All Pride Run participants who pickup their bibs at Running Room will also receive a 25% discount on all shoes and apparel, thanks to the folks at Running Room. First 150 people to collect their bibs will also take home some awesome rainbow shoe laces.

If however, you cannot make it to the Running Room, there will be a chance to collect your bib at the event site. To avoid a lineup, we suggest collecting them on Thursday night.

While registrations are closed, the ability to keep seeking pledges or to donate online is available on our RaceRoster site. We will be announcing the winners using the amounts donated up until8:00 am on July 22nd. So don’t stop raising, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners are neck and neck, and not by much!

While online registrations have closed, we are still accepting late comers. Tell your friends and family that they can find us at either Race Package Pickup, or at Second Beach Park during the same times listed for bib pickup. We accept cash and major cards. If in doubt, have them contact us using priderun@vancouverfrontrunners.org

See You There

We hope this answers all the questions you might have, but do feel free to reply to this email with any other questions you might have.

Formerly the longtime Host of QueerFM, Barb Snelgrove is the Promotions Director at Roundhouse Radio 98.3. She is a Reporter for the local LGBTTQ news show OutlookTV, can be seen nationally on OutTV, and has written for numerous publications such as The Huffington Post, shewired.com and the WestEnder.
A well known community advocate, Barb has been a 3 term member of the City of Vancouver LGBTTQ2+ Advisory Committee, sits on the VPD Diversity Advisory Committee, is a member of Positive Living BC’s Red Ribbon Advisory Panel and the City of Vancouver Jim Deva Plaza Steering and Oversight Committee (the first of its kind in Vancouver). She is also part of the LOUD Foundation Selection Panel which provides annual scholarships to LGBTQ+ Youth.

Barb has been acknowledged for her many years of community service with a Vancouver Pride Society Outstanding Community Member Award, named one of OutTV’s “Top Queers of the Year” and made the GayVancouver.net Annual List of “Ten People Making a Difference in Vancouver”. She has been a Vancouver Pride Parade Grand Marshal (Local Hero), TELUS Pride Legacy Award winner as “Community Superstar”, twice nominated for the City of Vancouver Award of Excellence, and is a YWCA Women of Distinction Award finalist. Barb most recently won the BC Broadcasting Association Award of Excellence / Community Service Award (Radio) for her Vancouver Food Bank campaign.

Best known as megamouthmedia, the “quick with a quip” emcee of scores of Vancouver community events, Barb is proud to once again be hosting the Vancouver Frontrunners Pride Run & Walk.